What Kind Of Fish Are Best For The Fish Pond In Stardew Valley?

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Choosing which species to place in a Stardew Valley fish pond can be an incredibly difficult decision. First and foremost, there are 70 different species of fish in Stardew Valley. By the time the player unlocks their first fish pond, they’re not even likely to have discovered all the available types. Couple that with the fact that there’s no way to tell what each species of fish will produce when placed into a pond, and it’s easy to be stuck in a state of decision fatigue.

Fish ponds must be commissioned from Robin
at her Carpenter’s Shop, and cost 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, and 5 Green Algae to build. Construction takes two in-game days. However, a fish pond can be constructed at any time; there’s no requirement to unlock them, or special event players have to witness before starting construction. Fish placed in a pond will multiply over time, occasionally asking the player to bring them a certain item before they can continue their reproduction. These fish can be caught and sold, but a fish pond will also reward the player occasionally with certain items.

All Fish Pond Species & Rewards

What Each Fish Pond Species Gives You

Four Stardew Valley players walking around or fishing in a trio of ponds

In Stardew, the items produced by a fish ponddepend both on the species of fish that lives inside it, and its total population. As a general rule, the more fish inside a pond, the rarer the items they’ll produce.

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The table below includes each and every fish species in Stardew Valley and what they produce in a fish pond at different population numbers. Keep in mind that even if a particular pond is capable of producing a certain item, there’s no guarantee that it will. It may still produce lower-tier items, and will often do so more regularly, as rarer items tend to have lower likelihoods of appearing. However, over time, even the rarest spawns will occasionally pop up.

Fish Species

No.

Item(s)

Albacore

1

1 Roe

Anchovy

1

1 Roe

Blobfish

1

1-2 Roe

9

Blue Discus

1

1 Roe

4

1 Banana

9

1 Golden Coconut

Bream

1

1 Roe

Bullhead

1

1 Roe

Carp

1

1 Roe

Catfish

1

1 Roe

Chub

1

1 Roe

Clam

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Cockle

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Coral

9

Crab

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Crayfish

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1 Trash
  • 1-3 Green Algae
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

2-3 Mixed Seeds

9

1 Warp Totem: Mountains

Dorado

1

1 Roe

9

20 Bug Meat

Eel

1

1 Roe

Flounder

1

1 Roe

7

1 Sea Jelly

Ghostfish

1

1 Roe

3

1-3 Quartz

9
  • 1 Refined Quartz
  • 5 White Algae
  • 3 Pale Broth

Goby

1

1 Roe

Halibut

1

1 Roe

Herring

1

1 Roe

Ice Pip

1

1 Roe

3

5 Iron Ore

9
  • 1-5 Frozen Geode
  • 5 Frozen Tear
  • 1 Diamond

Largemouth Bass

1

1 Roe

Lava Eel

1

1-3 Roe

3

5 Gold Ore

8

1-3 Cave Jelly

9
  • 5 Spicy Eel
  • 5 Magma Geode

Lionfish

1

1 Roe

4

2-5 Taro Tuber

9

1 Tiger Slime Egg

Lobster

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Midnight Carp

1

1 Roe

7

1 River Jelly

Midnight Squid

1

1-2 Squid Ink

Mussel

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Octopus

1

1 Roe

9

1-10 Omni Geode

Oyster

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Pike

1

1 Roe

9

20 Bug Meat

Periwinkle

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1 Trash
  • 1-3 Green Algae
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

2-3 Mixed Seeds

9

1 Warp Totem: Mountains

Pufferfish

1

1 Roe

Rainbow Trout

1

1 Roe

9
  • 1 Rainbow Shell
  • 1 Prismatic Shard

Red Mullet

1

1 Roe

Red Snapper

1

1 Roe

Salmon

1

1 Roe

Sandfish

1

1-3 Roe

10

2-5 Cactus Seeds

Sardine

1

1 Roe

Scorpion Carp

1

1-3 Roe

10

2-5 Cactus Seeds

Sea Cucumber

1

1 Roe

Sea Urchin

1

1-5 Roe

Shad

1

Roe

Shrimp

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Slimejack

1

1 Roe

3

1 Green Algae

9
  • 10-50 Slime
  • 1 Green Slime Egg

Smallmouth Bass

1

1 Roe

Snail

1
  • 1 Roe
  • 1-3 Seaweed
  • 1 Trash
  • 1 Driftwood
  • 1 Broken Glasses
  • 1 Broken CD
  • 1 Soggy Newspaper

5

9
  • 1 Warp Totem: Beach
  • 1 Nautilus Shell

Spook Fish

1

1 Roe

9

1 Treasure Chest

Squid

1

1 Squid Ink

Stingray

1

1 Roe

4

1 Magma Cap

7

2-5 Cinder Shard

9

1 Dragon Tooth

Stonefish

1

1 Roe

3

5 Copper Ore

9
  • 1-5 Geode
  • 30 Stone
  • 1 Diamond

Sturgeon

1

Sunfish

1

1 Roe

10

1 Solar Essence

Super Cucumber

1

1 Roe

9
  • 1-3 Iridium Ore
  • 1 Amethyst

Tiger Trout

1

1-2 Roe

Tilapia

1

1 Roe

Tuna

1

1 Roe

Void Salmon

1

1-3 Roe

8

5-10 Void Essence

9

1 Void Egg

Walleye

1

1 Roe

Woodskip

1

6

5 Hardwood

9
  • 1-5 Maple Seed
  • 1-5 Pine Cone

Note that most Crab Pot
fish and bottom feeders generally aren’t good candidates for fish ponds, as they tend to produce a lot of trash. Also note that typically, the rarer the fish, the rarer its produce. Most common fish simply only produce Roe
, but rare fish that can only be caught during, say, the deep-sea fishing mini-game at the Night Market, tend to provide some interesting items.

Sturgeon Are Best For Your First Fish Pond

Making & Selling Caviar

Stardew Valley Player Standing Near Fish Pond With Sturgeon Roe

For the first fish pond the player builds in Stardew Valley, Sturgeon
are an excellent option. Like most fish, Sturgeon produce regular old Roe, which isn’t worth much in and of itself. However, put it into a Preserves Jar for a few days, and it’ll soon turn into Caviar
, which can be sold for 500g a pop (or 700g with the Artisan perk).

But why Sturgeon
over any other Roe-producing fish? For one thing, Sturgeon are the only fish who can produce Caviar; other fish simply produce different kinds of Aged Roe
. The price of Aged Roe depends on the base price of the fish that produced it. In some cases, this leads to significantly higher prices than Caviar’s 500g. However, these fish are far less likely to produce Roe in the first place, and when they do, they tend to produce less of it. Sturgeon, on the other hand, regularly produce Roe, and may make up to two each day.

Besides that, Sturgeon are just generally easy to come by and easy to catch. That makes a Sturgeon pond easy to set up, which means players can get started on producing caviar quickly. Of course, if they later catch a rarer fish with more desirable rewards, it’s always possible to empty out their first pond and replace its contents with whatever they like – or simply to build a second one.

Rainbow Trout Are Great For A Second Pond

A Rare Chance For Prismatic Shards

A rainbow trout on the Stardew Valley beach farm.

Once the player gathers up another 200 Stone and decides to go for another fish pond, Rainbow Trout
makes an excellent second choice. Although they’re harder to catch, only being available during the summer, Rainbow Trout can provide some excellent, rare rewards with very little player input. Like most other fish, they do produce Roe
, but it’s the rest of their loot table that makes things interesting.

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Rainbow Trout have a rare chance of producing a Prismatic Shard
or a Rainbow Shell
instead of Roe. Both of these items are rare, but Prismatic Shards in particular have numerous uses: Prismatic Shards are necessary for forging items, and the player also needs one to complete the Missing Bundle and reopen the movie theater. They can also take one to the Desert and stand between three pillars to receive the excellent Galaxy Sword. Prismatic Shards are also almost-universally loved gifts by everyone in town except Haley.

Still, the chance of spawning a Prismatic Shard is exceptionally rare; players should still expect to get Roe most of the time. It’s not quite as valuable as Caviar, but it’ll still earn the player a bit of passive income every now and again. In time, though, with a few fish ponds filled with the right kinds of fish, players will be well on their way to fortune and rare items in Stardew Valley.

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